POCATELLO — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Criminal - Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section), published as received.

POCATELLO – Chase Phillip Hornaday, 41, of Ammon, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today.

According to court records, officers with the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force began investigating Hornaday in November 2023, after receiving reports that he had possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material.  After executing a search warrant on an online file sharing account belonging to Hornaday, ICAC officers uncovered more than 60 images and videos of child sexual abuse material in the account and found evidence that Hornaday had exchanged child sexual abuse material with other individuals online.  On January 10, 2024, officers executed a search warrant at Hornaday’s home and recovered his cell phone, which contained an additional 300 images of child sexual abuse material.

Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Hornaday be placed on supervised release for five years following his prison sentence and ordered that he pay $27,000 in restitution.  Hornaday will also be required to register as a sex offender.  Hornaday pleaded guilty to the charge on October 23, 2024.

“Another Idaho community is safer because of the teamwork between federal law enforcement, the ICAC Task Force, and local sheriff’s offices and police departments,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit.  “We will continue to spare no effort to find and prosecute those who possess or distribute child sexual abuse material.”

“The sentence reflects the serious nature of child exploitation and sends a clear message that those who prey on the most vulnerable members of our society will be held accountable,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest.  “The investigation and prosecution of these crimes remain a top priority for our agency, and we are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that offenders are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This sentence represents the hard work of ICAC’s investigators,” said Attorney General Raúl Labrador.  “I’m grateful for the continued commitment of every participating agency to keep our kids safe from abuse and exploitation, and for the courts that recognize the seriousness of these crimes.”

U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended Homeland Security Investigations in Idaho Falls, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho Falls Police Department, and the Idaho ICAC Task Force for the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Paskett prosecuted this case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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